Born: Vöklabruch, Austria
Voice: Baritone

There is a tradition of fine baritones in Austria, men whose voices (while they sing in many languages) seem to 'made' for German language lieder and opera. Before the Second World War it was Erich Kunz and immediately after it was Eberhard Wächter, both whom embodied the dual qualities of a beautiful sounding voice and great intelligence. They sang Papageno and Wolf lieder with equal authority and were charming stage performers as well.

The latest wearer of that noble mantle is Wolfgang Holzmair. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music with soprano Hilde Rössel-Majdan and pianist Erik Werba. Holzmair's early successes came in the field of lieder and art song, in particular a 1992 performance with composer and conductor Luciano Berio of Berio's orchestration of early Mahler songs at the Maggio Musicale in Florence.

Opera has figured more and more prominently in Wolfgang Holzmair's work; Papageno with Sir Peter Hall directing, Pelleas with Bernard Haitink conducting, Rossini's Figaro, Valentin in Gounod's Faust and recently, a sparkling Danilo in The Merry Widow.

Holzmair's work is distinguished by a keen intelligence and a deep empathetic interaction with his audience, whether on stage in opera or the greater intimacy of the recital platform. There is also, (for lack of a better term to describe it) a Viennese charm to his interpretations which draws audiences into the performance as though it is being given by a trusted friend.

In addition to great conductors, Wolfgang Holzmair enjoys fruitful partnerships with excellent pianists in recital and on record, particularly Imogen Cooper. His discography on the Universal labels includes a Grammy Award winning performance of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem with Herbert Blomstedt conducting on Decca and several recital recordings on Philips of lieder and song.